The classic musical still comes up roses

The last time I saw this show, at Manchester’s Royal Exchange just before the pandemic, Rebecca Thornhill was one of the jaded burlesque strippers who belted out that defiant anthem, You Gotta Get A Gimmick. Now she plays the manic stage mother, Mama Rose, in a vivacious revival of the Jule Styne-Stephen Sondheim-Arthur Laurents backstage saga, serving up a potent cocktail of soured dreams and tawdry glamour.

The Mill at Sonning, a compact dinner theatre, regularly punches above its weight. A colourful Venetian backdrop embellished the svelte version of Top Hat staged here in 2021, and for Gypsy — a musical where you really need to convince an audience that it’s catching a whiff of sawdust and cheap liquor — director-choreographer Joseph Pitcher gives us an intimate glimpse of the vaudeville tradition as it staggers towards its final bow. Meanwhile, musical director Francis Goodhand oversees dynamic arrangements for an assured off-stage quartet, complemented by a trio of actor-musicians who parade here and there like travelling players.

From the moment we are plunged into a children’s revue in the opening scene (Jason Denvir’s set design is unobtrusively atmospheric) there’s no mistaking Rose’s air of quiet desperation. Thornhill gives Some People a flinty edge, but you can’t miss the touch of self-deception in Everything’s Coming Up Roses. Hustling her daughters and the rest of the company from one city to another, seemingly oblivious to the grimly second-rate nature of their act, Rose is one of musical theatre’s great monsters. We should be appalled, yet Thornhill also manages to win our sympathy. Daniel Crowder is likeable too as Herbie, her long-suffering manager and admirer.

You really do feel for Marina Tavolieri’s June, a would-be starlet forced down a path she loathes. In the second half, Evelyn Hoskins as sister Louise sensitively handles the abrupt transition from awkward juvenile to reluctant stripper who unexpectedly achieves a kind of fame as Gypsy Rose Lee, prodded along by a mother who should know better. Natalie Titchener’s costumes and Nic Farman’s lighting add to the dubious allure. And before Louise’s metamorphosis, Laura Tyrer, Susannah van den Berg and Natalie Winsor grab us by the throat with their cheery portrayal of faded burlesque dancers who have been ogled by far too many drunks. They definitely have a gimmick. This may not be the biggest or grandest version of Gypsy you’ll ever see, but it still captures the spirit of an era.

CLIVE DAVIS

Summer's coming up roses

The Mill at Sonning's spectacular Broadway show Gypsy is a winner

The first word I would use to describe this production is slick. After that, fast paced, visually impressive and colourful.

With a new large apron stage effect and a composite set that managed, with good lighting, to indicate a frame house kitchen (drab), a vaudeville theatre stage with bright lighting all round, a burlesque house and a railroad platform all creating the right mood.

Everything ran like clockwork. One scene faded into another and the last actors on stage had moved the furniture and props and put in new stuff before you realised it had changed.

The show was well over two hours in length so it needed the smooth, quick pace to get everything in. That was down to director Joseph Pitcher, who kept everything moving and was also choreographer, responsible for the lively, complex dance routines. There were also many changes of bright, colourful costumes too, so many that they had to loan some from Newbury's Watermill theatre.

The Gypsy Rose Lee story is an Ugly-Duckling-type tale.

Young Louise is constantly pushed into the background to highlight the stage talent of her younger sister June. The only trouble is, June doesn't have much talent and it shows. When June finally leaves her mother's pushy attempts to make her a star, it is left to quiet, mousy little Louise to step into the spotlight in the unlikely role of a professional stripper. When she does, watch out for Evelyn Hoskins' impressive, slow but oh so effective transformation.

This story needs three powerful performances and it certainly delivered them. From Rebecca Thornhill as the assertive, determined mother, the actor delivered splendidly. Next Louise, later Gypsy Rose and finally Marina Tavolieri, who did well as the overrated and selfish June. There was also a brilliant display by a very little girl playing young June. One of several tiny actors alternating.

The very large cast all played a big part in the success of this production, some actors taking on additional duties as instrumentalists. Tim Maxwell-Clarke played grumpy grandad with spirt and was no mean performer on clarinet and alto saxophone as well. There was even Chowsie the dog, who behaved impeccably on stage.

Gypsy is often cited by critics as one of the best, most loved musicals in Broadway history. This was a spectacular production about Gypsy Rose Lee, the woman who in real life became famous as a stripper who never removed much clothing at all.

DEREK ANSELL